Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km²) [1] U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the world's largest high deserts located around mountains. The Rio Grande river rises in the forest, and the Continental Divide runs along most of its western border.[1] The forest lies in parts of nine counties. In descending order of land area within the forest they are Saguache, Mineral, Conejos, Rio Grande, Hinsdale, San Juan, Alamosa, Archuleta, and Custer counties. Forest headquarters are currently located in Monte Vista, Colorado, but plan to move to Del Norte.[2] There are local ranger district offices in Del Norte, La Jara, and Saguache.[3]
| Rio Grande National Forest | |
|---|---|
%252C_Colo.jpg.webp) Stony Pass jeep road, east of Silverton, Colorado. Spectacular scenery along this old wagon road over Stony Pass (12,588 feet), at the edge of the Weminuche Wilderness | |
 | |
| Location | Colorado, United States |
| Nearest city | Alamosa, CO |
| Coordinates | 37°44′24″N 106°50′07″W |
| Area | 1,860,000 acres (7,500 km2) |
| Established | July 1, 1908 |
| Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
| Website | Rio Grande National Forest |
Wilderness areas
There are four officially designated wilderness areas lying within Rio Grande National Forest that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. All of them extend partially into neighboring National Forests, and one of these also onto National Park Service land (as indicated).
- La Garita Wilderness (mostly in Gunnison NF)
- Sangre de Cristo Wilderness (the largest part in San Isabel NF; also partly in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve)
- South San Juan Wilderness (partly in San Juan NF)
- Weminuche Wilderness (mostly in San Juan NF)
Climate
| Climate data for Platoro Dam Weather Station (Elevation 9,860ft) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 52 (11) |
55 (13) |
55 (13) |
62 (17) |
73 (23) |
80 (27) |
81 (27) |
78 (26) |
77 (25) |
72 (22) |
63 (17) |
51 (11) |
81 (27) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 31.3 (−0.4) |
35.6 (2.0) |
38.5 (3.6) |
45.6 (7.6) |
54.5 (12.5) |
66.2 (19.0) |
69.8 (21.0) |
67.9 (19.9) |
63.2 (17.3) |
54.5 (12.5) |
41.8 (5.4) |
32.3 (0.2) |
50.1 (10.1) |
| Average low °F (°C) | −7.0 (−21.7) |
−3.0 (−19.4) |
5.0 (−15.0) |
17.0 (−8.3) |
24.8 (−4.0) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
36.2 (2.3) |
36.2 (2.3) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
19.9 (−6.7) |
9.7 (−12.4) |
−5.2 (−20.7) |
16.0 (−8.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −38 (−39) |
−48 (−44) |
−24 (−31) |
−14 (−26) |
2 (−17) |
14 (−10) |
24 (−4) |
24 (−4) |
14 (−10) |
−4 (−20) |
−20 (−29) |
−36 (−38) |
−48 (−44) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.30 (58) |
2.16 (55) |
3.57 (91) |
1.80 (46) |
1.39 (35) |
1.02 (26) |
3.14 (80) |
3.21 (82) |
2.08 (53) |
1.54 (39) |
2.68 (68) |
2.20 (56) |
27.10 (688) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 27.8 (71) |
39.1 (99) |
54.2 (138) |
19.5 (50) |
8.1 (21) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0 (0) |
1.6 (4.1) |
8.5 (22) |
39.2 (100) |
39.2 (100) |
237.3 (603) |
| Source: [4] | |||||||||||||
See also
- List of largest National Forests
- List of U.S. National Forests
References
- USDA Forest Service, Rio Grande National Forest
- Rio Grande National Forest announces plans for new headquarters in Del Norte
- USFS Ranger Districts by State
- "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. March 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
